Chapter 251.2

Chapter 251.2

After the interview, Tae Mu-kyung summoned her to his office. Without any preamble, he tossed a yellow envelope onto the desk. A neck ID card peeked out from the slightly opened envelope. He gestured for her to check it.

As she hurriedly opened the envelope, her face was plastered on the ID card, followed by an official employee card from the NGO and an activity permit spilling out.

What is all this? When she quickly looked up, her eyes met his over his glasses. This meant…

“Instead, you’ll be infiltrating as my wife.”

Her brow furrowed.

Are you serious… I have to pretend to be married to Director Tae? She anxiously clutched her slacks.

With this identity, she couldn’t persuade her husband. No matter how sincere he was about supporting her, he would surely be displeased.

Just thinking about it from his perspective made it clear. While she hoped Lee Wooshin wouldn’t waste his talents, pretending to be married to another woman… She clenched her teeth as Tae Mu-kyung handed her a tablet.

Operation Name: Project Return

As soon as the thick letters filled her vision, a dry voice followed.

“You know that North Korean troops have been dispatched to Russia, right? Soon, our government will also support Ukraine with lethal weapons and military personnel.”

“….”

So? Seoryeong’s gaze remained calm.

“In accordance with this, our National Intelligence Service will disguise agents as NGO employees to enter the prison camps. We will just pretend to inspect the camps here and there for human rights issues on the surface.”

“Pretend…?”

“The real mission is to unofficially contact the North Korean soldiers who have been captured. The true purpose is to investigate those who wish to defect and facilitate their evacuation.”

The serious explanation continued. However, the phrase “disguised couple” lodged itself in her heart, making it impossible for her to concentrate.

This is a mess.

It was a risky operation from the start. She had no confidence in persuading Lee Wooshin, and she didn’t want to pretend to be married to another man.

‘Ugh!’

Just thinking about it made her break out in hives.

Operation Name: Project Return

Security Level: Confidential Level 3

Overview

An unofficial operation for managing North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine and handling defectors.

A mission for military personnel support and information gathering through a disguised NGO couple.

Mission Objectives

-Interrogation of North Korean prisoners of war and support for inducing defection.

-Collection of information on Russia-North Korea military cooperation.

-Concealment and protection of military personnel activities.

Operation Structure

-Disguised Identity

-Couple representing an international NGO for the protection of war prisoners’ human rights.

-Obtaining approval from the Ukrainian government.

-Possessing regular visitation rights to the prison camps.

Actual Mission

-Interpreting during prisoner interrogations and analyzing information.

-Assessing the psychological state of North Korean prisoners.

-Collecting confidential information related to Russia-North Korea military cooperation.

-Establishing and executing evacuation plans for defectors.

“—They are witnesses to the realities of the North Korean regime, so the more we have…—”

“Do we really have to be a couple with the director?”

Seoryeong asked the question she was most uncomfortable with. Tae Mu-kyung paused sharply. His piercing gaze swept over her.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“Yes, quite.”

“Usually, people don’t say such things outright, do they?”

“I do.”

At that, Tae Mu-kyung, looking tired, took off his glasses and pressed his nose.

“As I said, we need to make contact unofficially. To naturally induce defection afterward, we need to lower the prisoners’ guard. It’s better to be civilians than soldiers, and two are better than one. But it shouldn’t be too stiff.”

Director Tae appeared as indifferent and dry as she was.

“We need to dig into their emotions.”

Tae Mu-kyung adjusted his glasses again as he spoke.

“That’s why showing a glimpse of the future is much more effective than a hundred words of persuasion. Freedom, hope, love… things they left behind that they can never find in the camps. My strategy is to condense and show all of that.”

It was then that Seoryeong, who had been quietly listening, flinched. The photos of the prisoners she had been passing over without meaning suddenly caught her attention. As images of faces that hadn’t been washed for days, with rough skin and pale cheeks, flashed by, her gaze stopped at one place.

Her heart dropped with a thud. Her pupils shook. The thought that this operation could be easily given up evaporated in an instant. Her finger trembled slightly as it scrolled through the tablet screen.

‘Why… no… it can’t be…’

Memories she had completely forgotten rushed back like a tide. Seoryeong urgently enlarged one particular photo.

No… it can’t be… Seoryeong rubbed her eyes awkwardly and looked at the photo again.

‘Why is she here?’

Even in the blurry quality, the familliar eyes were sharp. Was it an illusion? Or was it a mirage? Seoryeong stared at the screen without even blinking. Her heart pounded in her ears.

Was it because she suddenly faced a face resembling Kia? Unfortunately, she completely missed Tae Mu-kyung’s last words.

“In that sense, Agent Joo Seoryeong should be pregnant. Let’s truly touch the hearts of the starving prisoners.”